Transportable conveyor for clearing surfaces

ABSTRACT

A towable device for clearing surfaces of mud and the like including a collector means, a pickup zone and a transporter means, extending from the pickup zone. A floor member is provided in the pickup zone onto which the collector means spills the material being collected. Blades are provided in part of the collector means for chanelling the material inwardly and then outwardly prior to meeting the collector means.

United States Patent 11 1 Harrison [4 1 July 10, 1973 1 TRANSPORTABLECONVEYOR FOR CLEARING SURFACES [75] Invent John L. Harrison, nearLiverpool,

England [73] Assignee: Dunlop Holdings Limited, London,

England 221 Filed: Apr. 12, 1971 211 App]. No.: 133,159

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Apr. 17, 1970 Great Britain18,363/70 [52] US. Cl. 37/108 R, 37/8, 37/42 VL, 15/93 R, 198/7 [51}Int. Cl E021 5/00 [58] Field of Search 198/7; 37/5, 28, 37/101, 108, 42VL, 49, 32-34, 98, 8, 48; 15/4, 93

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,206,819 12/1916 Davis 37/81,269,016 6/1918 Staszko 37/42 VL 150,057 4/1874 Kimbal1.... 37/321,142,197 6/1915 Murphy 37/8 3,263,257 8/1966 Stapleton, Sr... 15/93 B3,465,456 9/ 1969 Meyer 37/42 VL UX 2,695,466 11/1954 Porter 37/983,049,817 8/ 1962 MacDonald. 37/ 108 R 3,449,780 6/1969 Juno 15/41,017,092 2/1912 Gardner ..37/8 3,232,408 2/1966 Asbury 198/7 R PrimaryExaminer-Robert E. Pulfrey Att0rneyStevens, Davis, Miller & Mosher [57]ABSTRACT A towable device for clearing surfaces of mud and the likeincluding a collector means, a pickup zone and a transporter means,extending from the pickup zone. A floor member is provided in the pickupzone onto which the collector means spills the material being collected.Blades are provided in part of the collector means for'chanelling thematerial inwardly and then outwardly prior to meeting the collectormeans.

10 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PAIENIEp JUL 1 01m mmaurq Pmcmznw 5.744161 FlGb. H61

FIGJO.

TRANSPORTABLE CONVEYOR FOR CLEARING SURFACES This invention relates toportable conveyors and in particular to such conveyors adapted forclearing mud, snow, sand or the like from substantially flat surfacessuch as roads or pavements.

Mud is a particular problem on roads on or near building sites andcontractors have previously had to employ machines of the type used forroad sweeping to clear the roads. Such machines are costly and complexas they are primarily designed for clearing dust and general litter fromroads and thus utilize rotating brushes of various forms to clean theroad. Furthermore, such machines are not usually adapted to deal withthe substantial volume of mud which may accumulate, it being common tofind the mud several inches in thickness.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simpler and cheaperroad-clearing machine suitable for towing behind any vehicle having asuitable container.

According to one aspect of the present invention a portable conveyor forclearing surfaces comprises a pickup zone, collector means forchanneling material into the pickup zone during forward movement of thecollector means and transporter means for conveying the material fromthe pickup zone such that material channeled into the pickup zone ispicked up by the transporter means.

Another aspect of the invention provides resilientlymounted scrapermeans in front of the collector blades for loosening the material.

Yet another aspect of the invention provides resiliently-mounted bladesfor displacing the material inwardly of the conveyor and outwardly priorto the inward displacement by the collector means.

Another aspect of the invention provides a floor member, for the pickupzone, extending over at least part of the area in the horizontal planeof the pickup zone such that material channeled into the pickup zonemoves onto the floor member and is picked up from the floor member bythe transporting means.

The transporting means is preferably in the form of paddles mounted onan endless belt which moves the paddles up a trough such that theypropel material along and up the trough.

Other aspects of the invention will be made apparent from the followingdescription of some embodiments of the invention, by way of example,only, read in conjunction with the accompanying diagrammatic drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of a conveyor.

FIG. 2 is a plan of the conveyor sectioned on the line 11-" of FIG. 1.

FIG. shows the clearing action of the blade memher.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 a conveyor comprises a generally rectangularframe 1 of angle section and rectangular section steel girders. Wheels2, 3 mounted on side of the frame 1 and a draw bar 4 provide,respectively, support means and towing means for the frame. Furthergirder members 5, 6, 7 and an extension 8 are also attached to the basicframe 1 for reasons to be explained.

At the rear of the frame 1 is mounted a collector blade 9. The blade iscurved in plan and extends across the full width of the vehicle suchthat the outer limb portions l0, 11 are angled in plan, inwardly towardsthe rear of the frame 1. The blade 9 comprises a steel backing member 12and a replaceable larger blade 13 of polyurethane mounted to the backingmember 12 such that the blade 13 projects over the edges. Forwardlyextending radius arms 14 extend from the frame 1 and the extension 8 tothe backing member 12 and are pivotally mounted at each end. The radiusarms serve to locate the blade 9 and springs 15 mounted on guide rodsact vertically between the frame and the backing member 12. The guiderods have stop means 16 to limit the possible spring extension.

At the central region 17 of the collector blade 9 is positioned in asubstantially horizontal plane a floor member in the form of a sheet 18of flexible reinforced sheet material such as conveyor belting sheet.The floor member 18 is attached to the lower end of an upwardlyextending transporter 20 and extends generally horizontally towards theblade 9 bearing upon the ground surface.

The transporter 20 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3) comprises a supportingframework 21 and a pair of end rollers 22, 23 each mounted on bearingsattached to the framework 21. A drive belt 24 and engine 25 are providedfor the lower roller 22. The framework is supported at an angle ofapproximately 45 by a pair of adjustable supporting legs 26 extendingupwardly from the front of the frame 1. The upper roller 23 has providedadjustment means 27 so that it may be moved away from the roller 22 totension an endless belt 28 which runs on the rollers 22, 23. A series ofcurved section paddles 29 each extending transversely of the belt isattached at spaced-apart intervals along the belt 28. On the lower runof the belt the paddles move in a sheet metal trough 30 comprising aflat floor 31 and vertically-extending sides 32 arranged so that thepaddles 29 sweep substantially the whole cross-sectional area of thetrough 30. The lower end of the floor 31 is connected to and supportsthe sheet 18 and the sides 32 extend for a short distance along thesides of the sheet as shown in FIG. 2 so that the trough at its lowerend has the sheet 18 for a floor.

At the front of the frame 1 two scraper blades 33, 34 are provided.These are constructed and are of the same materials as the blade 9 andare located by rearwardly extending arms 35 pivotally-connected at theirends to the frame 1 and the scraper blades. The blades are pusheddownwardly by springs 36 each of which are mounted on guide rods eachhaving travel limiting means as used on the collector blades 9. Thescraper blades are angled inwardly towards the center of the frame 1 andextend outwardly to a similar width to that of the collector blade 9.

A parting blade 37 comprising two blades 38, 39 connected to form aV-shape in plan is mounted in front of the transporter trough 30. Theparting blade is of the same construction and materials as the otherblades, is located by rearwardly-extending radius arms 40 and isspring-loaded downwardly by springs 41 between the frame members 1, 5,v6, and 7 and the blade. The springs 41 once again are mounted on guiderods provided with end stops to limit the spring extension.

The vehicle wheels 2, 3 are each further provided with anadjustable-height suspension unit 42 to allow raising and lowering ofthe whole conveyor on its frame 1. (The transporting portion of thewheels being shown chain dotted in FIG. 1).

In use the conveyor is towed by a dumper truck, tipper-truck or the likeby means of the tow-bar 4. The conveyor is driven by means of the engine25 such that the paddles 29 move over the sheet 18 and up the trough 30.The suspension units 42 are adjusted so that the scraper, parting,collector blades and also the sheet 18 bear on the road surface with theblades being held there by the springs. The conveyor is then towed overthe surface to be cleared, which, if it is covered with hard, dried mudmay be water-sprayed before clearing to soften the mud.

As illustrated diagrammatically in FIG. 10 the scraper blades 33 and 34loosen the mud from the surface and channel it towards the longitudinalcenter-line of the vehicle. The mud is then displaced to either side ofthe conveyor pickup zone by the centrally mounted parting blade 37 whichalso clears the central area of the area swept by the conveyor. Thefollowing collector blade 9 gathers up the mud and channels it inwardly.The increasing volume of mud at the center of the blade is churnedforwardly and projected onto the floor member 18 which is trailing uponthe ground a short distance dependent on the material being cleared,from the collector blade 9. The moving paddles 29 collect the mud andpropel it along the trough 30 up to the top of the transporter troughwhereupon it passes into the hopper (not shown) of the vehicle towingthe conveyor.

The front scraper blades 33 and 34 may be replaced by steel barspositioned at or near the surface to be cleared in which case theysimply loosen the mud which is then channeled and collected by theparting and collector blades.

The blades may be of a material other than polyurethane dependenton thestrength and wear resistance required' in service. Reinforced rubbersheeting as used for conveyor belting is suitable and'if sufficientlyflexible allows curved road surfaces to be satisfactorily cleared.Alternatively metallic blades such as steel may be used.

The floor member 18 may be of a material other than rubber conveyorbelting (for example polyurethane) in which the choice of material againwould be dependent on wear resistance and abrasion due to the trailingaction and the effect of the material being collected. The floor member18 may be reinforced internally or externally for example by steel ribsattached to the lower surface. Furthermore the floor member may bemaintained in contact with the ground.

The paddles 29 may be of various forms and shapes as shown in FIGS. 4,5, 6 and 7 in which the direction of movement is shown by the arrows.The paddles may be internally reinforced and/or externally braced. Inall cases the construction and angle of the paddles is determined by thematerial to be moved and the upward angle of the transporter.

The collector blade shape in plan may be varied from the curve shown inFIG. 2. Constant and variable curvature blades may be utilized as wellas blades comprising two or more substantially straight sections.Similarly the scraper and parting blades may be curved or straight.

An alternative form of pickup is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The collectorblade 9 curved in plan has provided an upwardly extending portion 43which has a curvature such that it is swept by the paddles 44. In thisarrangement the paddles 44 are moved upwardly on the upper run of thetransporter and are mounted on a continuous flat belt 45 running on theend rollers 22, 23 as before. The paddles collect material to be clearedand carry the material up the conveyor as shown in FIG. 8.

The transporter may be driven by a petrol or diesel engine or provisionmay be made for power to be transmitted from the towing vehicle.Alternatively the wheels supporting the conveyor may be utilized toprovide the required power for the transporter. The speed of thetransporter is determined by the amount of material being cleared, thewidth of cut and the forward speed of the vehicle.

More than one pickup zone may be utilized together with suitablyarranged blades. Such an arrangement allows a wider area to be sweptwithout overloading the central collecting zone of the collector bladesor the capacity of the transporting means.

The passage of the material into the hopper may be assisted by thepaddles projecting it forwardly. The hopper may be used as a temporarystore for the material. In the case of snow-clearing the snow may bemelted in the hopper by heat or chemical means in which case onlylimited storage volume need be provided.

What I claim is:

l. A portable conveyor for clearing surfaces comprising a pickup zone,collector means for channeling ma terial into the pickup zone duringforward movement of the collector means, said collector means beinglocated rearwards of the pickup zone in the direction of said forwardmovement, transporting means for conveying the material from the pickupzone such that ma terial channeled into the pickup zone is picked up bythe transporting means, and aparting blade member provided in front ofthe pickup zone, wherein the parting blade member is arranged to deflectmaterial to the collector means.

2. A conveyor as in claim 1 having scraper means in front of thecollector means in the direction of forward movement of the collectormeans, said scraper means comprising scraper blade members resilientlymounted so as to scrape the surface being cleared to loosen the materialprior to it being met by the collecting means.

3. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein a pair of resiliently-mountedscraper blade members is provided one in front of and to either side ofthe parting blade member so constructed and arranged that the scraperblade members deflect material towards the parting blade member whichsubsequently deflects the material to either side of the pickup zone forcollection by the collector means and guidance into the pickup zone.

4. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the transporting means comprises aseries of paddles adapted to be driven along a channel member having across-section substantially similar to the shape of the paddles suchthat material within the channel is propelled along the channel by thepaddles.

5. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the pickup zone has provided a floormember extending over at least part of the area in a horizontal plane ofthe pickup zone such that material channeled into the pickup zone movesinto the floor member and is picked up from the floor member by thetransporting means.

6. A conveyor as in claim 5 wherein the transporting means comprises achannel member which is substantially rectangular in section having asubstantially flat lower surface and wherein the floor member of thepickup zone comprises an end portion of the lower surface such that thepaddles propel material from the pickup zone along the transportingmeans.

7. A conveyor as in claim 5 wherein the floor member comprises a forwardextension from the collector means and the collector means has provideda center region which is curved in section and is further provided withan upward extension having a similar curvature said curvature of thecenter region and the upward extension being such that they lap thepaddles of the transporting means so that the paddles pick up materialfrom the floor member and propel it upwardly around the curved centerregion and upward extension whereupon the material falls onto thetransporting means.

8. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the collector means comprises aresiliently mounted blade member.

9. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein the collector means comprises ablade member which is flexible so that it may conform to the surfacebeing cleared.

10. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein said parting blade member isresiliently mounted.

1. A portable conveyor for clearing surfaces comprising a pickup zone,collector means for channeling material into the pickup zone duringforward movement of the collector means, said collector means beinglocated rearwards of the pickup zone in the direction of said forwardmovement, transporting means for conveying the material from the pickupzone such that material channeled into the pickup zone is picked up bythe transporting means, and a parting blade member provided in front ofthe pickup zone, wherein the parting blade member is arranged to deflectmaterial to the collector means.
 2. A conveyor as in claim 1 havingscraper means in front of the collector means in the direction offorward movement of the collector means, said scraper means comprisingscraper blade members resiliently mounted so as to scrape the surfacebeing cleared to loosen the material prior to it being met by thecollecting means.
 3. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein a pair ofresiliently-mounted scraper blade members is provided one in front ofand to either side of the parting blade member so constructed andarranged that the scraper blade members deflect material towards theparting blade member which subsequently deflects the material to eitherside of the pickup zone for collection by the collector means andguidance into the pickup zone.
 4. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein thetransporting means comprises a series of paddles adapted to be drivenalong a channel member having a cross-section substantially similar tothe shape of the paddles such that material within the channel ispropelled along the channel by the paddles.
 5. A conveyor as in claim 1wherein the pickup zone has provided a floor member extending over atleast part of the area in a horizontal plane of the pickup zone suchthat material channeled into the pickup zone moves into the floor memberand is picked up from the floor member by the transporting means.
 6. Aconveyor as in claim 5 wherein the transporting means comprises achannel member which is substantially rectangular in section having asubstantially flat lower surface and wherein the floor member of thepickup zone comprises an end portion of the lower surface such that thepaddles propel material from the pickup zone along the transportingmeans.
 7. A conveyor as in claim 5 wherein the floor member comprises aforward extension from the collector means and the collector means hasprovided a centre region which is curved in section and is furtherprovided with an upward extension having a similar curvature saidcurvature of the centre region and the upward extension being such thatthey lap the paddles of the transporting means so that the paddles pickup material from the floor member and propel it upwardly around thecurved centre region and upward extension whereupon the material fallsonto the transporting means.
 8. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein thecollector means comprises a resiliently mounted blade member.
 9. Aconveyor as in claim 1 wherein the collector means comprises a blademember which is flexible so that it may conform to the surface beingcleared.
 10. A conveyor as in claim 1 wherein said parting blade memberis resiliently mounted.